Federal travelers will pay $16 less next year to fly from New York to Washington. That's just part of the good news announced last week as the General Services Administration unveiled 1999 air fares for federal travelers.
Discounted rates federal employees will enjoy include $33 one-way from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Washington (down from $49 in 1998); $53 one-way from Chicago's O'Hare to Washington; and $177 one-way from Dallas-Fort Worth to Washington. Discounted rates are available on 5,482 routes--4,895 domestic and 587 international.
Uncle Sam will get a 68 percent average discount on walk-up fares in 1999, generating about $2.5 billion in savings off regular ticket prices. The city-pair contracts generate more than $1 billion a year in revenue for the airlines.
On more than 1,500 of the routes, feds will get to fly nonstop. The tickets also don't require advance purchase and have no minimum or maximum stay requirements, travel time limits, charges for cancellations or blackout periods.
The terms of the agreements are so favorable to travelers that airlines refuse to extend the rates to government contractors.
The following airlines were awarded city-pair contracts: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, America Trans Air, America West, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Midway Airlines, Midway Express, Northwest Airlines, Reno Air, Southwest Airlines, TransWorld Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways.
To see this year's city-pair rates, check out GovExec.com's Travel Center.
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